Saturday, March 03, 2012

A Guide To Foldable Treadmills

If you are looking at the range of space saving, fold up treadmills out there and are confused about what to buy then you have come to the right place. In the following guide I will walk you through what to look for when choosing and foldable treadmill and showcase some of the top rated fold away treadmill models on the market today.

Are Folding Treadmills Any Good?

It is fair to say that when these first came onto the market these types of treadmills were more gimmick than practical. Many featured bad design, weak features and poor durability but thankfully that is a thing of the past. Oh sure, you can still pick up a shabby model from your local Wal-Mart or other non-specialist store but there are also now many high quality products to choose from meaning you can get all the convenience of an easily stored fold up treadmill without compromising on quality.

So, how to you go about separating the wheat from the chaff and how can you buy a quality product without maxing out your credit card? The following section outline what to look for when choosing a treadmill and showcase some of the best rated folding treadmills by Amazon.com shoppers.

What To Look For When Buying A Folding Treadmills

Finding The Best For You!

Not everyone has the same set of requirements for their treadmill and this is one of the reasons there are so many options out there and the price range varies so much. You can buy a folding treadmill for under $100 or you can spend upwards of $9,000 for one of the really heavy duty models out there.

For most of us however, a good folding treadmill can be picked up for under $1,000 if you really only intend to use it as a walking treadmill and from anywhere in excess of $1,500 - $2,500 for running.

Either way, there are several things to look at which will influence your buying decision and help you find the right machine for your needs.

There are also specific things to look at if you are set on buying a folding treadmill as opposed to a fixed frame treadmill and these are as follows:

Weight, Size and Storability Issues

Q. How much does a treadmill weigh?
A. A lot!

Folding treadmills are much lighter than their fixed frame counterparts, but still, this is an item you are going to fold up and store, pull out and assemble regularly so you will need to look at the weight and whether this is managable for you.

Mostly, storage is simply a case of lifting up the running bed and wheeling the now folded treadmill wherever you need it to go but if you have a physical condition which makes bending and lifting a problem then the weight issue becomes more relevant to you and you need to look more closely at exactly how moveable a fold down, portable treadmill is going to be for your own circumstances.

Stability and Durability

How stable is a folding treadmills? In the past the answer would have been - "not very" - now that is only true in the cheaper foldable treadmill models you'll find on the market. Cheap folding treadmills typically have somewhat flimsy frames and do not feel all that solid in their build quality.

This tends to get better with price but it is best to check treadmill reviews and opinions or to try the model out yourself to make sure your choice is a good one. The more stable the better as there is nothing worse than running on a machine which wobbles all over the place or makes annoying creaking and juddering noises whilst you are trying to work out.